BB Grooves: Meghan Trainor Settles for No. 3

Despite releasing her highly anticipated sophomore album (‘Thank You’), Meghan Trainor settles for no. 3 on the Billboard 200. 

Meghan Trainor simply couldn’t get it done.  What couldn’t she get done exactly? Beating Drake or Beyoncé for the top spots on the Billboard 200.  Throw in that little thing called the “sophomore effect” and Trainor finds her latest album settling for third place.  Trainor’s third place start is just one of the stories from this week’s Billboard 200, dated June 4, 2016.

1. Drake remains in the driver’s seat on the Billboard 200.  Views wasn’t the top-selling album but easily garnered the most SPS (streams plus sales).

2. “Hold Up!” Who had the top-selling album this week? That would be Beyoncé’s fierce Lemonade, which settles for no. 2 on the Billboard 200 once more, trailing Drake’s Views in streams.

3. As aforementioned, Meghan Trainor’s Thank You scored the chart’s highest debut, but couldn’t overcome two juggernauts.  Trainor, who also outsold Drake, underperformed her debut album Title in both streams and sales.

4. Pierce The Veil scores the second-highest debut with Misadventures landing at no. 4.

5. Keith Urban didn’t lose too much in his sophomore week. Ripcord drops just two spots from no. 4 to no. 6 with a less substantial percentage drop than most albums experience in week two.

6. Most of Prince’s albums took a dip in sales/streams this week.  The Very Best of Prince is the sole top 10 effort, but it drops from no. 5 to no. 7.  Purple Rain slips out of the top 10, falling 11 spots from no. 8 to no. 19.

7. Chance The Rapper’s Coloring Book makes history, becoming the first streaming exclusive to chart on the Billboard 200 (Kanye West had some sales btw).

8. Radiohead’s A Moon Shaped Pool slips six spots from no. 3 to no. 9 in week two.

9. Jennifer Nettles Playing With Fire launches at no. 10.  Those aren’t Sugarland numbers, but Playing With Fire gives Nettles a second top 10 album as a solo artist.

10. Kygo makes his chart debut with Cloud Nine which just misses the top 10 at no. 11.

11. Cole Swindell’s You Should Be Here slips six spots from no. 6 to no. 12 in its sophomore week.

12. Hatebreed’s latest album The Concrete Confessional debuts modestly at no. 25. The “confessional” doesn’t seem quite so “concrete” does it?

13. Taylor Swift’s 1989 improves 26 spots from no. 52 to no. 26 in its 82^nd charting week.

14. Mike Posner’s At Night, Alone drops 17 spots in its second week (no. 12 to no. 29).

15. Apparently, folks have forgotten about Corinne Bailey Rae.  The Heart Speaks In Whispers quietly enters the Billboard 200 at no. 31.

16. DevilDriver’s Trust No One debuts at no. 43.  Yep, that’s “about all I have to say about that.”

17. The Voice winner Sawyer Fredericks sees his debut album A Good Storm barely grace the top 50.  A Good Storm enters disappointingly at no. 48.

18. Modern Baseball’s Holy Ghost debuts at no. 53.

19. It is worth noted that Google Play has quite an impact on the Billboard 200.  Albums that are discounted in price drive up the sales. Who benefitted this week?  Third Eye Blind’s self-titled album ( a re-entry at no. 74) and The Goo Goo Dolls’ Dizzy Up ( a re-entry at no. 95).

20. Joey + Rory’s Hymns slips down the charts 35 spots from no. 41 to no. 76 in its 14^th charting week.

21. Coldplay’s A Head Full of Dreams sees a bump in SPS, improving from no. 100 to no. 79.

22. Talk about a downgrade in fortunes! 3OH!3’s Night Sports debuts tepidly at no. 170.  Maybe people got tired of the frat-bro humor?

23. Hard Working Americans’ Rest in Chaos enters the charts at a marvelous no. 173.  Yes, that’s indeed sarcasm you’re reading.  

24. Bad go of it for Andy Black.  The Shadow Side slipped 156 spots from no. 22 to no. 178 in week two.

25. James Blake’s The Colour in Anything free falls from no. 36 to no. 189 – a 153 spot drop!

Photo Credit: Epic